Various types of games are known in the prior art. Prior art patents disclose games designed to improve communication skills of players.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,684,135 issued to Bouchal on 1987 Aug. 4 teaches a board game which uses cards and involves story-telling. Each game player is provided with a game card imprinted with pictorial illustrations and legends characterizing a predetermined number of different kinds of stories which each player is to tell during the course of play. Each player in turn randomly selects the primary characteristics of a story to be told. The player then randomly selects a randomly predetermined number of graphic images, these being then used by such player to tell a story of the previously selected character. Upon the successful completion of telling a story, such player is given a frame to place about the particular pictorial illustration bearing the characterizing legend for the story just told. The game is completed when a player has first provided frames about all the pictorial illustrations of his game card.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,435,726 issued to Taylor on 1995 Jul. 25 teaches an amusement game in which players tell stories focused on native American Indian culture. Each player is given story stones with each story stone being imprinted with a native American Indian hieroglyphic symbol and legend characterizing a different subject of the story being told, whether it be a true story of history or a randomly made up story. Upon the successful completion of telling a story, the player ties one know in a jute rope.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,940,863 issued to Kritzberg on 1976 Mar. 2 provides a psychological testing and therapeutic game device in which players tell stories based on iconographic stimuli, each tending to invoke a significant primary emotion. Dice and cards are used to play the game and both intermediate awards and concrete rewards provide incentive for storytelling and fantasizing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,746,433 issued to Klassen et al. on 1998 May 5 provides a method of playing a game in which players tell stories to develop public speaking abilities. A single die is cast to determine the order of play. In addition, timing and grammar judges are selected. Each player speaks about a topic determined by drawing a card and then casting a die to determine which topic on the card will be used. A player receives 1 point for every second of speech with a maximum of 3 minutes allowed and 180 points. Points are deducted for speech fillers and pauses. Ten points are lost for straying from the player's topic.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,002,282 issued to Hanley on 1991 Mar. 26 teaches a method of playing a game in which players verbally describe relationships between randomly chosen concepts.
U.S. Design Pat. No. 410,501 issued to Langford on 1999 Jun. 1 illustrates an ornamental design for a game board.
The primary objects of the present story telling game are to entertain and educate players, while improving communication skills and encouraging socialization among players. The present game provides a spinner wheel, a variety of topic cards, and a timer. The round spinner wheel has a tab against which flexible stops located at the intersection between play sections come to rest after a player has spun the spinner wheel. The spinner wheel is divided into spaces, which are imprinted with instructions for game play, including such as “SERVE GUESTS”, “GIVE A CARD”, “REST AND RELAX”, “TAKE A CARD”, SPIN OFF”, and “STORY”. The topic cards are imprinted on one side with the title of the game and on the other side with a variety of topics such as “cooking disaster”, “fender bender” or “got caught”. The timer has an on-off switch, a set button to allow a player to set the timer for 0 to 300 seconds and a re-set button. At the beginning of each game, each player is dealt five topic cards. The object of the game is to be the first player to discard all of his or her topic cards. A player may discard one of his or her topic cards upon landing upon the “STORY” play spaces on the spinner wheel, telling a story related to the topic of the player's topic card and stating “That's my story and I'm sticking to it” within 300 seconds. A story may be about the player himself, someone the player knows, or about something the player has heard about. Players also follow the instructions provided on the remaining spaces of the spinner wheel as part of the game.